Monday, June 9, 2014

After that super fun time in Chiang Mai, we have to go back to Bangkok to catch our flight to our next destination. There's actually a direct flight from CNX to where we were going but any flights at that time coming out of CNX were all very expensive. Tourists were expected to leave Chiang Mai after the Loy Krathong and the Yi Peng, so understandably the airlines were selling it on a high price.

#16 at the Chiang Mai Bus Terminal

We even had a hard time booking a return bus ticket to Bangkok. The private transport companies were already fully booked, so we ended up with what the locals call the "government" bus.

our Bangkok-bound bus

When we asked the lady in the counter about the difference between this and the other buses, we were informed that this is not very good. As if we have a choice! Of course, we booked it. It doesn't matter anymore as long as we can go back to BKK on time.

find me! ;)

Unlike our 28-seater NCA Gold Class Bus, this was a double decker (28 x 2, I suppose). There's also a toilet at the lower level but I didn't use it because Beau said it wasn't clean.

the seats were fine

The seats were comfortable though you can just recline it at a certain level. There's not much of a leg room. The blankets were not individually wrapped, they were just hanging on the seats. If you're a little bit OC about cleanliness (like a friend I know haha) you may not like it because you never knew if it was freshly laundried or if it has been used many times by previous passengers.

our bus chasing the sun

Tip: Do NOT book the 1st seats on the left side (Seats A1 and B1) on the 2nd level! Do NOT, I repeat! It has the worst leg room of all seats! I normally don't put my feet up in front of the seats but my legs would've cramped for 9 hours if I didn't. I almost killed Beau for choosing those seats for us. Geez...

Good morning, Bangkok!

By the way, they don't serve food. It's basically just a bus with a toilet, nothing extra. It also has a short stop-over. If you don't want to do your #1 in the bus (for cleanliness issue), you can just use their toilet. We also bought something to munch on from there since there's no complimentary snacks from the bus.

watching the sunrise from the bus

All in all, the Government Bus experience was okay for me. It wasn't that bad. It was just a little uncomfortable for a long journey, but that's it. It was safe and on time. I wouldn't mind using them again if I need to.:)

Notes:*The "Government Bus" is being run by The Transport Co., Ltd. which is owned by the state.**Our round trip Chiang Mai-Bangkok tickets were purchased from the Mo Chit Nothern Bus Terminal in Bangkok.